0001|                       SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 23
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          ROMAN M. MAES III
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|                           A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011|     IN SUPPORT OF A PRESIDENTIAL COMMUTATION OF THE SENTENCE OF
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0012|     PETER MCDONALD OF THE NAVAJO NATION.
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0013|     
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0014|          WHEREAS, Peter McDonald, former chairman of the Navajo
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0015|     nation, is now in the sixth year of serving a fourteen-year
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0016|     federal sentence; and 
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0017|          WHEREAS, Mr. McDonald was sentenced pursuant to his
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0018|     convictions for instigating a riot, accepting bribes, fraud
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0019|     and racketeering; and
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0020|          WHEREAS, while in prison, Mr. McDonald has suffered a
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0021|     heart attack and a broken wrist and due to these problems has
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0022|     been housed at the federal medical center at Fort Worth; and 
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0023|          WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation have a tradition
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0024|     of forgiveness and respect for their leaders and are in
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0025|     agreement that Mr. McDonald should be allowed to return to his
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0001|     home in the Arizona portion of the Navajo nation; and
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0002|          WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation remember that
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0003|     Mr. McDonald was a code talker during World War II and that he
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0004|     was an electrical engineer by profession before returning home
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0005|     to enter into positions of leadership of the Navajo nation;
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0006|     and 
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0007|          WHEREAS, the Navajo nation council, the legislative
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0008|     branch of the Navajo nation, has adopted a resolution
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0009|     forgiving Mr. McDonald for his crimes; and 
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0010|          WHEREAS, the president of the Navajo nation is in support
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0011|     of obtaining an early release for Mr. McDonald; and
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0012|          WHEREAS, the people of the Navajo nation are concerned
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0013|     for his health and believe that his absence from his homeland
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0014|     will cause Mr. McDonald to wither, causing his health to fail;
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0015|     and
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0016|          WHEREAS, through petitions and letters, Navajo nation
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0017|     members, national political figures and many others have
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0018|     requested that the president of the United States provide an
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0019|     early release for Mr. McDonald;
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0020|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0021|     STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it express its support for an early
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0022|     release for Peter McDonald, former chairman of the Navajo
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0023|     nation; and
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0024|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the United
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0025|     States is hereby requested to commute the sentence of Peter
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0001|     McDonald and the New Mexico congressional delegation is hereby
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0002|     requested to support the commutation of Peter McDonald's
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0003|     sentence so that he can return home to the Navajo nation; and 
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0004|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0005|     transmitted to the president of the United States, the New
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0006|     Mexico congressional delegation, the president of the Navajo
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0007|     nation and the speaker of the Navajo nation council.
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0008|                              
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